The most important aspects of a supply chain begin at the warehouse, the place where we organize and keep products that we will later distribute. Therefore, Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) – which were created to help guide every step involved in moving stock – have evolved very much in recent years.
WMSs can improve productivity and increase the accuracy of the warehouse by giving visibility to stock in real time and by automating warehouse operations, getting rid of the red tape and manual processes.
They were first used to recognize stocks, but current systems can give us information on inventory levels, future demand, issues identified by Customer Service departments, the needs for packaging and supply, suppliers, and freight costs, among others. Furthermore, they allow us to create multi-dimensional bar codes, scan QR codes, print labels, see purchase orders, and monitor the use of stock in real time, etc.
Because these platforms will continue evolving, it is important to understand the characteristics of today’s warehouse management systems. We list them below:
The fast growth in e-commerce and the response capacity demanded by online clients are forcing WMSs to keep improving. Thus, suppliers are investing in dynamic capacities for processing orders to achieve better adaptability in their day-to-day operations with flow-controlled engines and priority of orders made on the floor, for example.
Also, WMSs benefit retailers with both brick-and-mortar and online stores because it helps them accurately control the needed stock to ensure meeting the demand coming from different channels.
Suppliers are also funneling resources to develop Cloud-Based WMS alternatives with better characteristics, extended integrations, and enriched and dynamic real-time set up capacities. Some are developing options that will let clients apply automated learning abilities to smartly adapt to the everchanging circumstances in their operations such as understanding the purchasing behavior of their clients, creating unlimited updates, online shopping, and sales planning. Many companies are opting for cloud-based alternatives because they represent a low-risk and cheaper option to access the benefits of an updated WMS.
In a world of smartphones, where employees travel abroad, enjoy flexible work hours, and demand instant access to data from warehouses, meeting rooms, and seminars, some WMSs offer an additional advantage: mobile technology ranging from wearables to voice control.
This is how mobility in the warehouse has been transforming: from Window-based software to touchscreen devices for Android and WMS with intuitive GUIs. For example, WMSs offer mobile supervisor functions that yield information on performance in real time, allowing supervisors to monitor employees through tablets, see the list of purchase orders, raw materials, finished products, and track the stock as it moves.
New solutions forego processing printed formats by offering easy-to-access features that make warehouse transfers a quicker task; for example, if Warehouse A needs products from Warehouse B located nearby, they can exchange goods using this option.
WMSs must maximize the tracking and monitoring of used and shipped products, regardless their location, thanks to automated systems. This will reduce the workload for picking, managing, and checking the warehouse’s information and help managers with a 360° view of their current operations.
WMSs must improve internal logistics, this is, they must maximize the monitoring and tracking of products, regardless their location. Tracking products means making the best use of automated systems to control the internal movement of goods, reducing the workload involved in picking, managing, and reviewing tasks and help obtain a total view of the operations.
In wave picking, traditionally used by warehouses to manage incoming orders, order tickets are liberated in lots – which creates several peaks in the operations and activities; nevertheless, current WMS solutions let us broadcast orders information, slow how fast we liberate selection tickets as the day grows old, make the best use of team members’ time, and lower the “rush” from rush hour.
Integration throughout the whole company is essential for WMS solutions. Ideally, the system must link up with all the departments involved in logistics – such as Procurement, Finance, Sales, Import – Export, and Human Resources – through the company’s Enterprise Resource Planning system (ERP). WMSs must possess the necessary scalability and capacity to be used throughout the whole company so we can track issues from inception and address them in the best possible manner.
In the world of WMSs, progress has been great in recent years because, in addition to integrating the new available tools that maximize the use of equipment and infrastructure, these systems also support the overall commercial goals, such as omni-channel sales strategies.
Logistics companies like Solistica offer warehouse management services that bring companies a complete control and management of their stock and help them use space efficiently thanks to their WMSs among the vast array of special technological tools for logistics processes.